Westerly Winds of trade changes

When the trade deadline arrived Thursday, it was clear the ultra-competitive nature of the Western Conference race had influenced the conference’s decision makers.

The powers in the East watched the comings and goings without doing a thing. Of course, the Magic would have made the biggest deal of all had Dwight Howard not agreed to waive his right to exercise the early termination option on his contract.

Out West, however, there was shuffling aplenty, and that included the Spurs.

Express-News NBA reporter Mike Monroe examines the new power structure in the West after the deadline deals. Consider this a post-deadline prediction of how the West will finish.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

What they did: No deals.

Evaluation: Nothing about the Thunder’s roster is broken, so no need to fix it.

What to expect: No change from their first-place spot in the Western standings, but if they should end up in a conference finals matchup with the Spurs, San Antonio is better prepared to defend Kevin Durant than before its trade.

2. San Antonio Spurs

What they did: Traded forward Richard Jefferson, guard T.J. Ford and a lottery-protected first-round draft pick to the Warriors for forward Stephen Jackson.

Trade evaluation: Jackson is two years older than Jefferson, and doesn’t shoot as accurately as Jefferson or rebound as well as Jefferson. This deal is still an upgrade for the Spurs. That’s because Jackson is a better defender and a fearless competitor.

What to expect: In playoff matchups that feature a high-powered scorer at small forward or big guard — Durant, Kobe Bryant, Rudy Gay — Jackson and Kawhi Leonard will cause big problems with tag-team defense on them.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

What they did: Traded Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and 2012 first-round draft pick to Cleveland for point guard Ramon Sessions; sent point guard Derek Fisher and 2012 first-round pick to Houston for center Jordan Hill.

Trade evaluation: At age 37, Fisher wasn’t able to keep up with the pace at which new coach Mike Brown preferred to play. Sessions is an upgrade, and little will be asked of Hill because neither Pau Gasol nor Andrew Bynum was traded.

What to expect: Sessions gets them running again and takes some of the scoring load off Kobe Bryant, who is about to re-discover shots he doesn’t have to create on his own.

4. Dallas Mavericks

What they did: No deals.

Evaluation: They’re still looking ahead to the day they can sign Deron Williams to a free-agent deal.

What to expect: Their dealing was in preseason, but their biggest problem has been keeping their big men healthy. Look for a late-season run from the defending champs.

5. Memphis Grizzlies

What they did: No deals.

Evaluation: Their big change is getting Zach Randolph off the injured list. Randolph believes they will be more dangerous this playoff season than last, when they shocked the Spurs. He’s right.

What to expect: For a second straight playoff, they will be the team nobody wants to match up against in the first round.

6. Los Angeles Clippers

What they did: Traded Brian Cook and a second-round pick to the Wizards for Nick Young.

Trade evaluation: If they think Young is the perimeter shooter they’ve needed since Chauncey Billups was lost for the season, they’re fooling themselves. He’s a capable shooter but a sieve on defense and a personality even the Wizards could no longer tolerate. If he takes shots from Chris Paul and Mo Williams, he makes them worse, not better.

What to expect: Williams has been a good soldier all season. If Young starts getting his playing time, there could be mutiny.

7. Houston Rockets

What they did: Traded a pair of draft busts, Johnny Flynn and Hasheem Thabeet, to Portland for veteran rebounder and shot blocker Marcus Camby; traded backup center Jordan Hill to the Lakers for point guard Derek Fisher and a 2012 first-round draft pick. Fisher will likely be waived.

Trade evaluation: Had Howard not agreed to opt in for one more season in Orlando, the Rockets would have been happy to rent him for the rest of the season. Instead, they upgraded at center with Camby. He’s not Howard, but he can block shots and rebound, so they got better defensively.

What to expect: The perimeter players who routinely blow by Kevin Martin will have a tougher time scoring at the rim. They’ll be a tough out in the first round.

8. Denver Nuggets

What they did: Traded Nene to the Wizards for JaVale McGee.

Trade evaluation: When Nene is healthy, he is an All-Star caliber center, but he has been injury prone throughout his career and had played in a little over half of Denver’s games this season. McGee, though, has a personality George Karl won’t easily tolerate. This deal was more about cap relief.

What to expect: McGee will be happy enough dunking lob passes from Ty Lawson and Andre Miller, but it’s hard to see that this made them better.